MaNiAk

After I got my tires installed I decided to get an alignment. The shop told me that they can't do the alignment due to the tie rods on the drvers side. I asked them to show me. I held the tie rod as they wiggled the wheel and I did feel some movement. The passenger side had a little too but not as much as the drivers side. I was quoted 405 buck for inner and outer tie rods which were $169 and $79 respectively. I also asked how much for both sides and the quote was 640. Can the shop fake a loose tie rod? It seem everytime I go in for basic maintenence I alway get some lame "bigger problem" that needs attention. Also, can this be done myself? I have no major tools, just the basic little ratchets and wrenches. What would I need to do the job and where can I find a good quality tie rods inner and outer? thanks

Rick F.

Go to another shop. I can't believe a 2000 needs tie rods unless you've put a lot of rough road miles on the vehicle. Plus, that sounds like a lot of $$ for tie rods. Sounds like you're being taken for a ride.

I've never replaced tie rods myself but I don't think your standard ratchet set will do. However, with the right tools, it doesn't look like that tough of a job from what I've watched.

BajaRunner

The truth is the shop is uneducated and cannot figure out how to align your truck.

Look up a front-end specialty shop in the Yellow Pages and make an appointment with them. If they say that they too cannot align it, then you'll need to get the INNER tierods replaced, but, I will put money on it that you wont!

Same thing has happend to me, and it took me 3 shops to find the right guys to do it right.

I just had my truck aligned this week by "my guy" and its dead on, even though other shops had told me my Tie-rods were screwed over 20,000 miles ago.

The outer tie-rods are replaceable with basic hand-tools. The inner tie rods require a press and some knowledge.

MaNiAk

Holy cow what a day!!! Fly-n-hi called me back with a quote of 350 for both sides inner and outer tie rods while I was at work. I said "this is way lower than anybody else, you sure you have all the parts needed" they said "yep". But they did want to see the truck to make sure. I stopped by and they inspected. They say everything is fine, nothing wrong with the components.

I thought this was great. I asked if they would do an alignment but their equipment was broken and had a shop down the road do their alignments. so I called the shop and they told me to come right in. I was seen immediately. I was not out though for 5 hours. They tried six times to align but it still pulled left. They too inspected everything and found nothing wrong. They gave up and refunded my money They say the machine says it right on the money but the truck pulls left a little bit.

I might have to go back to the place that installed the lift and see what's up. Oh to make matters worse the shop's AC broke I waited in a 100 degree room for 5 hours.

It just dawned on me, could the brakes be the culprit?

BajaRunner

The truck can still aligned properly and have the wheel off-centered...

Id say your truck is aligned if they got it on the money.

Beerdrinker

sometimes the tires can cause the pull, have you tried swapping/crossing the front tires? did they do a four wheel alignment or just the frt end alignment?

MaNiAk

all of the above.

MaNiAk

all of the above.
Today I went to a fourth shop to look at the steering component. They too said everything was fine. They spent a lot of time aligning the truck and it's a bit better but still pulls to the left. The guy didn't charge me anything yet. He wants to spend more time with it. I will have him check for the wiggle of the tire once again along with the left rear brake drum tomorrow to see if this is pulling the truck left. Far fetched I know but its worth a shot. they also ruled out the tires.

MaNiAk

Well, Today went to the shop again as the guy wanted to continue to find what was wrong. He knew the front was fine so he focused on the rear. What he found was the left rear was a little further back than the right rear. He thinks the center bolt might be bent or broken. He suggested I go to Valley Springs down the road to see what they can do for me.

What they discovered was the left rear springs were shifted and the AAL was too small for the application. They also think the spring are worn too. The fix would be to re-arch the factory springs and add a real leaf to the pack. They would also replace the old center bolts with news ones. This in turn "should" solve my problem with the truck veering left. It would also level out my truck to match the lift in the front. I sure hope this fixes the problem as this work would set me back around 475 for the work. I have an appointment on Mon and will notify all with the results. Everybody keep their fingers crossed.